Giraffe dies after neck is caught in railing at Atlanta zoo

ATLANTA (AP) — A giraffe has died at an Atlanta zoo after getting its neck caught in a metal railing.

Zoo Atlanta officials announced 8-year-old male giraffe Zuberi died Monday. The animal was in a behind-the-scenes giraffe complex when its neck became wedged in a small space about 7 feet (2 meters) high.

The zoo's vice president for collections and conservation, Dr. Jennifer Mickelberg, tells news outlets it's "extraordinarily unusual" that Zuberi got stuck in that position. The official cause of his death won't be known until a necropsy is conducted.

The other members of Zuberi's herd don't have access to the enclosure.

Zuberi was born at Riverbanks Zoo and Garden in South Carolina and arrived in Atlanta in 2014. The giraffes haven't been displayed to the public this year because of construction.